Mobility Offers New Customer-Service Opportunities

A growing number of consumers are very receptive to the idea of pursuing customer service issues via mobile apps, according to a recent survey from Contact Solutions. However, the vast majority of customers continue to follow up on problems they have with products and services the old-fashioned way: with a phone call. This represents an unfulfilled opportunity for companies when you consider how many users are embracing mobile technologies. Texting, for example, accounts for roughly one in every seven minutes that smartphone users spend on their devices. (That's second only to talking.) The survey findings also reveal that organizations have a long way to go to transition their customer service experiences to the mobile age. "Consumers are fundamentally unhappy with the state of customer service, especially when it comes to their mobile service interactions," says Michael Boustridge, CEO of Contact Solutions. "The first line of defense against customer complaints is your contact center. To start meeting the needs of customers, companies must develop a strategy that effectively meets [customer] needs, while also providing them with a positive, interactive engagement." More than 1,200 consumers took part in the research.

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Deciding Factor

98% of consumers say customer service has an impact on whether they ever do business with a company again.

How Customers React to Bad Service

Tell family/friends: 95%, Talk to the company directly: 85%, Post a complaint on the company's Website: 66%, Post a review on a social network: 52%, Complain on a third-party Website: 46%

Lively Function

73% of respondents would use a customer-service app for live chat if one were available.

Conflicting Qualities

62% think that using live chat for this purpose would be reliable, but only 43% believe it would be secure.

Vocal Issue

65% of consumers surveyed typically deal with customer service issues on the phone, while 24% do so via email or a Website.

Human Factor

94% say having a personalized customer experience is important to them.

Virtual Connection

More than seven in 10 would like the ability to connect with a live person across modes of communication within a mobile app.

Small-Screen View

Nearly three in 10 would like mobile app video chat options with customer service agents.

Total Awareness

Nearly six in ten want companies to have the technology to know who they are and what their company history is as soon as they log on.

Taking Action

86% of respondents want customer service agents to have the flexibility and authority to solve their problems.

Click and Buy

52% of these consumers prefer to shop online, while 46% prefer shopping in a store.